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AD&D Basics

Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is built on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition rules set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world. You don't have to know the rules to play — the computer handles them — but understanding the foundations makes character building and tactics far more rewarding.

If you want to know more about how to play Baldur's Gate, you had best read the Survival Guide. There you will learn how the rules are applied, whereas here we shall explore the foundations.

— Elminster

At least I know how to enjoy the finer things in life, my wizardly friend!

— Volo

How Baldur's Gate II uses the AD&D rules

Baldur's Gate II uses the same weighting system for spells and weapons as the tabletop AD&D game, with one key adaptation: the initiative round is per-character rather than per-party.

Instead of a group-based turn (one side acts, then the other), every character, NPC, and monster acts in real time on its own personal initiative round.

The personal initiative round is six seconds long — a ten-to-one reduction from the 60-second round in tabletop AD&D, consistent with the reduction in global game time.

Pausing the action

You can pause (or unpause) the action at any time:

  • Press the space bar (PC and Mac).
  • Or click the clock icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

While paused you can assign actions to any character and then resume by unpausing. This lets fans of turn-based combat effectively play that way and gives everyone a moment to think during the fiercer battles.

Auto-pause

The Gameplay Options menu can instruct the game to pause automatically when certain events occur (enemy spotted, spell cast, character injured, etc.) so you don't miss them.

Source: bg2ee/original_manuals/baldurs_gate_2_ee_mastering_melee_and_magic.pdf — "AD&D® Rules—An Introduction by Volo", "About Advanced Dungeons & Dragons", "How Baldur's Gate Uses the AD&D Rules".